WEC unveils 32-car entry list for 2016

The World Endurance Championship has unveiled its entry list for the 2016 season, consisting of a total of 32 cars across its four classes.

In the fifth year since the championship's inception in 2012, 19 prototypes - nine in LMP1 and 10 in LMP2 - will be joined by 13 GT cars, with seven entries in GTE-Pro and six in GTE-Am.

The headline LMP1 class features the same nine entries that completed the 2015 season, with the Dunlop-shod ByKolles Racing team again joining fellow privateers Rebellion Racing and the six factory prototypes from Porsche, Audi and Toyota.

In LMP2, SMP Racing's brace of BR01s have been entered for a full season, while a second Signatech Alpine - entered under the 'BAXI DC Racing' banner - and an ORECA from Manor join last year's entries.

GTE entries

Ford Chip Ganassi Racing's pair of all-new GT machines balance out Porsche's withdrawal from the GTE Pro ranks as a factory team, although the German manufacturer will still be represented by the Dempsey Proton team, which steps up from GTE Am.

The Aston Martin works team, meanwhile, drops from three GTE Pro cars to two, keeping the number of class entries at seven, with the British marque entering a sole car in the Am class, down from two in 2015.

Larbre Competition, AF Corse and Abu Dhabi Proton Racing all return from last year, bolstered by KCMG and European Le Mans Series graduates Gulf Racing, although SMP Racing's withdrawal limits the size of the class to just six full-time cars.